Urinary incontinence is the involuntary excretion of urine from one's body. In many instances the release results from one or more underlying medical conditions. Male incontinence is a problem that results in distress, embarrassment and inconvenience for many men suffering from the involuntary excretion of urine. To deal with this problem, invasive procedures are sometimes used. In other circumstances, non-invasive devices have been created to address male incontinence, such as diapers and penis restricting mechanisms.
The urethra is a tube which connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body for purposes of excreting urine. In the human male, the urethra is typically about 20 cm (7.9 inches) long and opens at the end of the penis. Along this tract, the final portion of the urethra leading to the outside is commonly known as the spongy urethra (or penile urethra). This section runs along the length of the penis on its ventral (underneath) surface. Although varying, it is normally about 15-16 cm (5.9-6.3 inches) in length, and travels through the corpus spongiosum.
Generally, the goal of penis restriction devices is to somehow close, or partially restrict flow through, the urethra at some area along the spongy urethra. This in turn helps prevent the involuntary excretion of urine. Due to the unique anatomy of a penis, these external restriction devices that are clamped or otherwise secured to a penis can be effective in controlling urine flow through the spongy urethra. A given level of pressure applied to the spongy urethra will collapse or narrow the passageway and prevent or reduce urine from flowing through. These restriction devices have been used in the art to prevent involuntary voiding of a bladder and accordingly to prevent urine leakage.
Existing restriction devices can generally be divided into encirclement devices that typically have relatively flexible members designed to surround the penis shaft and clamp devices that typically have rigid or semi-rigid hinged clamping members. While many of these devices allow for a certain degree of adjustability, they do not account for the myriad variations in cross-sectional shape that may be encountered. The result may be user discomfort or inadequate or misplaced application of pressure and consequent leakage.